Life as a Team Sport
Award-winning alum brings teamwork and competitive drive to her nursing career
Sarah Dudinski ’21 approaches nursing like team sport. As a lifelong athlete, Dudinski has taken everything she learned about teamwork and collaboration and applied it to fulfill her love of helping others as an oncology nurse at Rhode Island Hospital.
She is the first registered nurse at Rhode Island Hospital to have won three of the esteemed DAISY Awards, recognizing extraordinary nurses across the country for their compassionate care. And her athletic spirit has never left her—not only does she work tirelessly on her unit caring for patients, Dudinski channels her passion as an avid cyclist to participate in the Tour de Rhody, an annual ride dedicated to raising money for the Brown University Health Cancer Research Center.
“As a registered nurse specializing in hematology and oncology with Brown University Health, I see first-hand the impact that trials and research have on patients and their families,” she says. “It is amazing to care for these patients and partake in the future of cancer care.”
At URI she was a seasoned Division I athlete on the women’s rowing team. An athletic scholarship improved her experience on the water and on campus, allowing for more time to develop the skills she would eventually bring to her patients and community.
“Earning a scholarship meant a lot to me and my family,” says Dudinski. “It provided financial relief to my dad, who is a single parent, but it also allowed me to spend more time getting involved with the URI community.”
Dudinski remains connected to URI. She volunteers occasionally as a coach for the rowing team, and she received a 10 Under 10 Award from the URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement for her early career success and commitment to her community. As an alum, as a nurse, and as a teammate, she has shown that she’s always willing to jump in the boat and row together.